Cte d Ivoire to launch dengue control campaign

Abidjan Aug 3 (IANS/MAP) The Côte d Ivoire government will launch an anti-vector campaign as the danger lurks of the dengue epidemic spreading in the country officials said.

The campaign will be launched in all municipalities of Abidjan and surrounding cities an olfficial report said on Wednesday.

Detected in April in the Cocody-Bingerville district the dengue epidemic has claimed two lives out of the 911 suspected cases. Of these cases so far 311 were confirmed.

The report said that from July 3 to July 22 153 new cases were recorded in the communes of Cocody and Bingerville.

Called "tropical flu" in Côte d Ivoire dengue is a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. It manifests itself in the appearance of a high fever often accompanied by headaches nausea vomiting joint and muscle pain and a rash resembling that of measles.

Dengue is considered a re-emerging disease and predominantly occurs throughout the intertropical zone.

--IANS/MAP
soni/vt